China indie film fund paves path to arthouse

Scholar launches Chinese Independent Film Fund

PUSAN, Korea — A Beijing academic has set up a fund for indie filmmakers in China, he revealed at the Pusan Film Festival Tuesday.

Zhang Xianmin, a professor at the Beijing Film Academy and the director of the China Independent Film Festival, said that he has started the funding program with the support of a private donor, whose name he declined to reveal.

The program, which is tentatively titled the Chinese Independent Film Fund, will give $5,000-$10,000 each to two fiction pics and two documentary features, said Zhang, who was attending a forum on film funding at the Pusan fest.

“Although starting as a small fund, I hope this could be a useful stepping stone for independent filmmakers in China,” he said. “I hope it will grow further, along with Chinese economy, in order that we can support Asian independent filmmakers who make arthouse films.”

The fund will be open to filmmakers of any nationality who are planning to shoot a movie in China. The submission deadline for the fund is Nov. 20.

Further details will be revealed at the fund’s launch at the 7th China Independent Film Festival, which is held in Nanjing from Oct. 21 to 25.